Nationwide peace actions held to protect Article 9 on 77th anniversary of start of Pacific War

December 9, 2018

On December 8, the day marking the 77th anniversary of the start of the Asia-Pacific War, various actions to protect peace and the pacifist Constitution took place nationwide.

In Tokyo, members of the Japan Mothers’ Congress organizing committee, Catholic sisters, and peace activists took to the streets to increase public support for the 30 million signature-collection campaign opposing Prime Minister Abe’s attempt to adversely revise Article 9 of the Constitution.

The Japan Mothers’ Congress organizing committee and various organizations near JR Yurakucho and Ochanomizu stations handed out copies of the “red slip” (the call-up-notice used during WWII in Japan) to passersby to remind them of the painful lessons learned from the war, and asked for their support for the 30 million-signature campaign as well as for the international signature-collection campaign in support of Hibakusha’s appeal for the elimination of nuclear weapons.

National Confederation of Trade Unions (Zenroren) Women’s Section chief Nagao Yuri, who is also Zenroren Vice President, using a handheld microphone said, “What the general public really seeks is a society where everyone can live without anxieties under a government making the best use of the Constitution. We must pass on the war-renouncing Constitution of Japan to our children.”

Near JR Shinjuku Station, 68 Catholic sisters together with peace activists conducted a street action with the aim of promoting the 30 million-signature drive. Singing “Silent Night” and other popular Christmas Carols, they called on pedestrians to sign the petition to protect the pacifist Article 9. This action was organized by five religious organizations, including the Japan Catholic Council for Justice and Peace.

One of initiators of the action, Mercedarian Sister Shimizu Yasuko noted that on this day 77 years ago, Japan started the Asia-Pacific War, and said, “The pacifist principle of the Constitution is being maintained with the firm determination of the populace to never allow Japan to become a war perpetrator or victim. Let us block any attempt to revise this supreme law and let us work for a bright future for the next generation.”

In peace actions in other cities, such as Nagoya (Aichi Pref.) and Utsunomiya (Tochigi Pref.), the New Japan Women’s Association (NJWA or Shinfujin) jointly with other women’s organizations distributed the “red slip” flyers on the streets and collected signatures for the petition opposing constitutional revision.

In Nagoya, a 24-year-old woman who added her name to the petition said, “I worry that Japan may move to possess nuclear weapons sometime in the future. I want Japan to remain peaceful and not to become a war nation.”